


Mistaken

by subtlesinner



Series: Life After Dawn [1]
Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-10-05 13:11:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10308725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subtlesinner/pseuds/subtlesinner
Summary: Erend has feelings for Aloy, but he hasn't managed to tell her that, yet. When Varl beats him to the punch, Erend falls back on old habits, which only leaves Aloy feeling confused and worried.-----Might be spoiler-y for those who haven't finished the game yet, but, I love Erend and Aloy, and this was my first thought when I saw that last cutscene before the credits...





	

Aloy stood on the edge of the precipice between the Spire and Meridian proper, her heart thundering in her chest as she listened to the sounds of victory breaking the eery silence that had fallen in HADES’s wake. She felt a gentle, but strong hand grasp her shoulder, and Aloy knew she couldn’t ignore the way she felt as she saw the goofy grin on Erend’s face, as if to say, _We’ve finally done it!_ Varl took a step closer to the two of them, smiling as his eyes fell on Aloy’s beaming face, though he couldn’t help but notice the familiarity with which the Oseram Vanguard Captain had a hand on the All-Mother’s Anointed, making his skin bristle defensively.

“It is finished.” Aloy breathed with relief, turning to take one last, long look at the massive sphere that had housed HADES, in all its terrifying glory. Part of her had contemplated taking the spear as a war-prize, but there was still some small bit of Nora superstition that sat deep in her, a fear that removing Sylens’s weapon would somehow allow HADES to rise again, and so she left it, as a symbol for all to see. “Let’s go.”

“Right behind you.” Erend chuckled, hefting his hammer easily over one shoulder.

“Lead the way.” Varl nodded, falling into step just behind, on Aloy’s right, as Erend took her left. They continued their walk back along the road in relative silence as they made their way past the still-smoking wreckage of ancient machines that had torn themselves from the very ground, no one quite able to put what they were feeling into words. In the wake of their moment of jubilation, it felt sobering to tread past carnage the likes of which Meridian had never seen, even in the days of slavery and human sacrifice of Sun-King Jhiran*, knowing that the threat of mass extinction had finally been laid to rest. The trio stopped at the gate, both men looking to Aloy.

“There’s going to be a festival at the Sun Palace, tonight, I’m sure of it. Avad would be a fool to waste the opportunity to bring everybody together in peace.” Aloy looked back at Erend in surprise, a smile still stretching broadly over his face. “Will you come out and celebrate for a bit? I did tell my guys I’d buy them a round, after all.”

“I’m going back to Olin’s for a few hours sleep, maybe I’ll come find you afterward.” Aloy smiled back at him, and Erend looked ecstatic at her response. Aloy turned to look at Varl, asking him, “Will the Nora War Party be staying in Meridian for the celebrations tonight? Or are you just going to head back to the Embrace as soon as possible?”

“That will be up to Sona to decide.” Varl shrugged, inclining his head toward the edge of the city. “Our camp is on the outskirts of town, if you want to come say your goodbyes.”

“I suppose I probably should.” Aloy nodded, turning to follow Varl. Erend hesitated, wanting to ask Aloy for a moment after she’d finished, but deciding it could wait until the festival that night. She looked back over her shoulder at him quickly, telling him, “I’ll find you tonight at the festival, Erend. I’m sure you won’t be difficult to track down.” He smiled again, sheepishly, one hand rubbing at the back of his neck with embarrassment.

“Alright, I’ll, uh, see you tonight, then.” Erend watched Aloy follow Varl toward the outskirts of town, but there was something about the way Varl’s eyes lingered on Aloy that rubbed him the wrong way. He disliked the Nora warrior, but for whatever reason, he couldn’t quite place outside a jealous gut feeling; he knew the younger man and Aloy were close, but beyond that, the details of Aloy’s personal life remained a complete mystery to him.

 

***

 

After saying her goodbyes to Teb, Sona, and the rest of the Nora War Party, Varl volunteered to walk Aloy back to Olin’s apartment, to assure himself that she made it home safely. The battle had been difficult, and it was clear her strength was beginning to wane after fighting for so long without respite; Varl felt much the same, but he also felt some kind of duty to watch over Aloy while she would still allow him to, and so he came with.

“So, what happens now?” Varl asked, his eyes fixed on Aloy’s, as they walked next to one another through the street, being hastily plastered with gaudy Carja Sundom decorations by some of the local townspeople. “If you’ve fulfilled the All-Mother’s purpose for you, where will you go from here?”

“I’m sure I’ll find something.” Aloy shrugged; truth be told, she’d always been so caught up in finding the answers to her questions, she’d never once considered what she might do after she found them. She’d half-expected to have to give her own life in order to defeat HADES, just as Elizabet had done to kill the Faro Swarm before her. Knowing that she’d managed to stop HADES, and keep her own life in the process, felt oddly surreal in the aftermath. “At the moment, I’m not exactly sure what that means, but, for now I’m kind of alright with that.” Varl nodded, even though he wasn’t sure he really understood what she meant. His teeth worried at his lip a moment, as if contemplating asking something Aloy wished he wouldn’t. Nonetheless, Varl’s voice was serious when he spoke again, putting a hand on her shoulder as he asked,

“The rest of the War Party and I will be making our way back to the Embrace in the morning. Will you come with us?” The question hung in the air, Aloy’s silence almost an answer in and of itself. Almost a full minute later, Aloy finally broke the quiet, stopping in her tracks to look at him, unblinking.

“You already know what the answer will be, Varl. Why even ask?” He stared back at her with the same pleading, searching expression on his face that he’d had before the battle had begun, when she’d spoken to him at the Spire.

“Aloy... About before-” She sighed heavily, ”Look, I- I said what I said, at the Spire, and my feelings for you haven’t changed. I would be honored to spend my life with you, if you’d have me.” He knew he was putting himself out in the open with the reiteration of his confession, but Varl also knew if he didn’t tell her, he would regret it for the rest of his days. Aloy paused for a long moment as she tried to think of a way to answer him without hurting his pride. “I’m in love with you, Aloy, and I want you to help me heal our people.”

“Varl.” She started with his name, almost a warning. “I consider you among my closest friends, and one of the few Nora I know I can trust with my life. But my place is not among the Nora. They are not my people now, and they never have been.” There was no room for interpretation in her words, and Aloy meant everything she said, as memories of life outside the walls of Mother’s Heart flooded through her mind. “Life as an outcast, with Rost, taught me that lesson clearly. Time and time again.”

“But you have the power to change that now, Aloy.” Varl half-pleaded, which only frustrated her more. Yet again, Varl seemed insistent on viewing her through the eyes of the tribe, and not through her own. It was the exact reason Aloy felt she could never love him the way he loved her. “Can’t you see, the Nora need you now, more than ever, to help us rebuild and understand our culture?”

“The Nora are _not_ my responsibility, Varl.” She knew her words were harsh, but necessary to drive the point home, as her voice remained calm and reasoned. “I have my own life to live, now. I owe no debt to them, or the All-Mother. I’m sorry, Varl, I just don’t feel the same way for you as you do for me. I’m in love with another man.” Varl immediately remembered the Oseram Vanguard thug, and the way he’d acted so familiar with Aloy before, during and after the battle, jealousy flaring under the surface. "Just leave me be for tonight, Varl, and take care. I will visit you the next time I’m out near the Embrace, in a few weeks. I was planning to bring flowers for Rost’s grave, now that I have the time to visit him.” The sadness in Aloy’s voice when she explained made Varl’s chest hurt; he knew the same pain she was feeling, thinking of Vala, and how neither of them had really gotten a chance to mourn their losses in the series of events that had followed the Proving. He reminded himself to pray to the All-Mother, that Aloy’s grieving might ease, given time. It was all he could do, to give himself hope that she might one day return to the Nora, for good.

“All-Mother watch over you, Aloy. I look forward to seeing you then.” With that, Varl gave her one last long look, then left to return to the War Party camp.

With a sigh of relief, Aloy finally made her way to the upstairs bedroom, removing her armor and sinking into the mattress leisurely. As her head settled against the pillow, she found herself replaying the conversation between her and Varl; she’d finally admitted to another person, out loud, that she had feelings for someone. The vocal acknowledgement fet surreal, and more affirming than she’d ever realized it could be. Growing up as an outcast under Rost’s care, she’d never really met anyone her own age, and the few people she’d ever met that were willing to talk to her had been friends much older than her. She’d never experienced the kind of attraction to anyone that Rost had so awkwardly described to her, once upon a time, and after such a long time of going without, Aloy had more or less accepted that she just wasn’t the type of person to have those feelings. Yet, she couldn’t deny, since the moment they’d met at the Proving, Aloy hadn’t been able to keep her mind from wandering to Erend in the quiet moments like this, before slumber claimed her fitfully. For as long as she could remember, Aloy had never met someone who made her feel the way Erend did, which was a thought that both terrified and intrigued her, now that she truly had the time to examine her thoughts in depth. After she helped him track down Ersa, only to have her die in his arms, Aloy had worried about him more than she’d cared to admit. She’d barely slept when he left to Oseram for weeks, to make arrangements for his sister and grieve with his people. Every time she returned to Meridian while he was away, she’d looked for him, more than a little disappointed to find he was still gone. Her stomach had flipped when Avad told her that Erend had returned, and immediately volunteered the Vanguard to help protect the Spire in their moment of need. Aloy had had no doubts that Erend’s Vanguard was one of the best choices in the city to act as a final line of defense, even if they did eventually fall while she was unconscious; she couldn’t suppress the guilt and doubt as she wondered just how many of his men gave their lives to defend Meridian that afternoon, praying the casualties were few. She felt awful at the thought, but also glad Erend had managed to scrape through the fight mostly uninjured, no worse for the wear than she was, though her aches and pains were finally starting to catch up with her now. Exhaustion set in quickly, weighing heavily on her eyes until Aloy finally allowed herself to rest, slumber claiming her almost immediately.

 

***

 

Erend smiled to himself as he left the Sun Palace at Avad’s special request as the sun began to sink into the horizon, painting the sky with a peaceful palette of orange and purple. Having known the two had grown close, the Sun King had asked Erend to personally invite Aloy as the guest of honor at the night’s festivities, so he was making his way through the city quickly, planning to try to catch her before she fell asleep back at Olin’s. His whole body felt tense as his long strides covered more and more ground with each step, but not in the same way it always felt before a battle- the way he was used to coping with, when he knew there was something big coming. No, this tension was from an entirely different excitement, an anxious feeling of fear and anticipation so foreign, he didn’t quite know what to do with himself. The closer he got to Olin’s apartment, the more Erend tried to force himself to work up the nerve to finally tell Aloy how he really felt about her: how he couldn’t go a day without thinking about her, and how the better he got to know her, the more he wanted to be around her. Just a few blocks from the apartment, Erend heard familiar voices from afar, knowing as he got closer that one of them was Aloy. Feeling his heart leap into his throat, he hurried to catch up with her, his mouth open as he nearly called out to draw her attention. The second voice spoke again, and Erend’s voice died in his throat, the realization striking him that she wasn’t alone, as he’d envisioned before. It was Varl that was standing next to Aloy, with seriousness written over his every feature. Before he could slow himself, Erend was already close enough to make out what Varl was saying;

 _“Aloy... About before- Look, I said what I said, at the Spire, and my feelings for you haven’t changed. I would be honored to spend my life with you, if you’d have me.”_ Aloy was standing quietly next to Varl as he spoke, but Erend couldn’t look at her; he couldn’t face the thought of her choosing another, not now, when he’d finally been ready to tell her.

Without waiting to hear her response, he turned on his heel and left as quickly as his feet would carry him, responsibility all but forgotten. Erend knew how wrong it was to eavesdrop, particularly on a conversation so private, but all the worse was the feeling of unexpected rejection now filling his gut, when he hadn’t even managed to tell her the truth. “Fuck.” Erend ground out the curse under his breath as he dodged through the already thickening crowds on his way back toward the Sun Palace. “Why him?” _Aloy is of the Nora after all, and so is Varl. It makes sense that she’d want to finally reconnect with the clan that she’d been so far-removed from,_ Erend told himself. _How could a drunk, Oseram fuckup, like you, fool yourself into thinking you could ever have a chance with her? You’re lucky she’ll even speak to you, you fucking idiot._ Erend continued to berate himself constantly as he retreated, readying an excuse to explain her absence, because he knew Avad would want one. Erend shook his head sourly, wishing he were a better liar, but he figured it would be easy enough to tell Avad she’d been asleep. Instead, it was Blameless Marad who greeted him at the door, his hands clasped together as he addressed the Vanguard Captain.

“Did you find our young friend?” Marad was smiling, but his grin faltered slightly when he saw the mood Erend was in, and how different he was acting than he had been just a short while before.

“She was asleep.” Erend answered shortly. He’d never wanted a drink more in his life, as he could feel Marad appraising the way he was acting. “She’ll just find out when she gets here, I guess.” Without another word, he walked off, leaving Marad puzzled by the odd response. The older man watched as Erend left, concern surfacing as he remembered the way Erend had acted when they’d all thought Ersa had been beaten to death, as if he was defeated and no longer desired to care or think or be... He didn’t appear to have sunken so far this time, but there was something reminiscent about the tone of his voice that left Marad feeling somewhat uneasy. He made a mental note to check in on Erend later, or maybe mention it to Aloy once she arrived later that evening.

 

***

 

Hours later, long since the sun had sunk below the western horizon, Aloy roused herself from sleep, her stomach rumbling with emptiness as she realized how long it had been since she’d last had something to eat. In all the anxiety and excitement of the day, it hadn’t crossed her mind to make herself eat again,and now she felt as if she could finish an entire boar’s worth of meat on her own. She dressed quickly, wondering just how late it had gotten to be as she glanced out the window, hoping that she hadn’t missed the majority of the celebration, then hurried out into the street toward the palace. As Aloy got closer to the Sun Palace, she was relieved to hear the thrumming sounds of awake and active citizens throughout the city, the massive clay, iron and brick walls glowing around her in the festive light of the Carja decorations that adorned every inch of Meridian that night. The moment she’d crossed the threshold of the Sun Palace’s long open halls, Aloy could hear a voice calling her nearer, but it took her a moment to locate the speaker in the outskirts of the crowd that buzzed inside the Palace proper.

“Oh, Aloy! Avad will be pleased to see you’ve made it!” Blameless Marad waved a hand over his head to make it easier to see him, beaming when Aloy saw him and waved back in greeting. “Please, come with me! You’re to be a guest of honor, tonight. Erend was supposed to tell you, but he said you were already asleep by the time he came to find you this evening.” Aloy could feel the butterflies in her stomach with a slight tinge of guilt; _Erend had come to see me? Meanwhile, I was dead asleep and had no idea..._ The expression on her face must have betrayed herself, because Marad immediately added, “I’ll let Avad know you’ve arrived, it might be best for you to try to find Erend. Last I saw, he was drinking with a group of Vanguardsmen on the edge of the crowd, out that way.” The older man pointed past a group of feasting Carja soldiers, to an area Aloy couldn’t see behind them, but she knew it was probably the best place to start looking for him, at any rate. “Aloy,I would be cautious with how you speak to him, if you don’t mind my saying... He seems to have more on his mind at the moment than just today’s victory.” Blameless Marad looked troubled as he warned her, and Aloy’s excitement turned quickly to concern, matching his own.

“Thank you, Marad.” She nodded at him, biting her lip with worry as she moved to take her leave. “I think I’ll do that. Excuse me.”

“Of course.” He nodded back; truth be told, he, too, was worried about the Captain of the Vanguard. When Meridian had first gotten news of the attack on Ersa, Erend had immediately fallen to pieces, drinking to excess, day in and day out, but he’d managed to pull himself out of it with Aloy’s help. Marad couldn’t help but wonder about what might have set Erend off down that same path of self-destruction, yet again, particularly on a day they were supposed to be celebrating. “Please, enjoy your evening.” Aloy tapped the focus at her temple as she walked, scanning the area ahead of her, but there were so many bodies in the Palace square, it was nearly impossible to pick Erend out of the thick crowd of glowing blue silhouettes. She blinked the focus off again, slipping between people in the direction Marad had pointed, until she finally laid eyes on a big group of Vanguard soldiers sitting around a massive table in the corner of the room, drinking raucously. Aloy breathed a sigh of relief when she recognized Erend in the middle of the group, hunched over his beer with a sour look of disappointment on his face; it was a far sight from the happy grin he’d had stretched from ear to ear when they’d seen each other just hours before.

“Erend!” She called out to him, hoping he’d perk up once he realized she was there, but he barely bothered to look up from his drink when the soldiers next to him elbowed and jeered him at Aloy’s arrival. “There you are, I’ve been looking all over for you!”

“Oh... Hello, Aloy.” He finally mumbled, glancing up at her just long enough to make eye contact, then back at the table in front of him quickly. Aloy disliked how he couldn’t seem to look her in the face. The first time she’d been to Meridian, Erend had been drunk, but he’d been happy to see her, and the intoxication had only intensified that emotion, at the time. The way he was acting now, distant and angry, she knew something was wrong. “Did Blameless Marad find you? I think the King wanted a word.”

“I just spoke with Marad.” Aloy nodded slowly, trying to gauge Erend’s reaction when she explained, “He was going to tell Avad I’d arrived when we parted ways. He also told me you came to tell me something, but I was already asleep when you got there... I’m sorry I missed you.” She felt genuinely sorry, unable to shake the feeling that by the way he was acting, he had had more than one reason for visiting her, and when she missed it, she’d somehow let him down. He didn’t react to her apology, other than to grunt and lift his drink for another deep draught.

“Erend...” Aloy started, gently, but the rest of the soldiers around them had long since fallen back into their own individual conversations, and the noise around them was so loud she could hardly hear herself think, let alone try to get him to tell her what was bothering him. “Can we, maybe, go somewhere we can speak in private?” The question only seemed to make him more on edge, practically ignoring her as he tossed his head back and finished the drink in three more quick gulps. “Erend!”

“ _Fine._ ” He slammed the empty pint down with a loud clunk, his eyes cold as he looked up at her stubbornly and motioned with one hand. “Lead the way.”

Erend had already had so much to drink, he’d lost track of the number of rounds hours ago. He was dreading the conversation he knew Aloy was about to make him have, and had subsequently spent the majority of the evening drinking to try to make himself forget she even existed, but it had been to no avail. All he’d done was make himself more miserable and depressed, fixating on his crush and cursing himself for ever falling in love at all. They made their way through the thick crowd slowly, people around them pressed so close, Erend became all-too-aware of just how often he and Aloy brushed against each other as they cleared a path; he felt selfish and awful knowing she was about to announce her plans to go back to the Nora homeland, and leave him and all of Meridian behind, while all he could do was whine and mope like a scorned child. They reached the long archways quickly, where the crowd had fully thinned, and finally Aloy felt like she could breathe again. Her heart sunk when she looked back at Erend again, the distress and intoxication more prominent in his features than she’d ever seen before.

“Erend, what happened?” Her brows furrowed with concern as she put the statement out in the open. Erend felt his stomach clench; he knew he wasn’t being subtle, but that didn’t mean he wanted to talk to her about it, either. “Why did you get so drunk?”

“I’m allowed to celebrate what we did today, aren’t I?” He rolled his eyes in response, but she knew he was deflecting her question. She knew this wasn’t Erend celebrating anything. “We did just win a war, after all. You’re making a big deal out of nothing.” He stared at the ground, instead of looking her in the face again, but Aloy wouldn’t let him. She stepped closer, so close he had no choice but to look at her.

“You’re not acting like yourself, Erend, and the only other time I’ve seen you even _close_ to this drunk was when you thought Ersa died in Dervhal’s trap.” Aloy explained, making Erend visibly uncomfortable at the observation.” _Erend, please just tell me what’s wrong._ ” She had him backed up against the wall, nowhere to escape to, and no way to avoid her questions anymore as she pleaded with him.

“I thought you wanted to talk about something? Just say what you have to say, already. I want another drink.” He lashed out angrily, and Aloy had to fight not to flinch at his harsh words.

“That _was_ what I wanted to talk to you about! Stop trying to dodge my questions.” Her eyes narrowed with hurt, “You’re very obviously not alright... Was it me? Did I do something to upset you?” Erend looked back at her, recognizing the hurt and questioning look on her face and immediately, he felt like an asshole, shaking his head at his own antics. _Stop treating her this way, it isn’t her fault you couldn’t work up the nerve to tell her how you feel before it was too late. She deserves to be happy, damn it._ He reminded himself, before taking a slow and steady breath; he suddenly wished he hadn’t had quite so much to drink before she’d gotten there, stumbling over his words.

“No- I-” He struggled to explain, “It’s just-” Aloy leaned closer to him, glad he finally seemed ready to let her in on what was bothering him. Erend sighed, feeling embarrassed when her knew how petty he’d been acting all night, sulking and licking his wounds, all because his friend had decided she wanted to be happy without him. “I know you came here tonight to tell me when you’re moving back to the Nora homeland, to rejoin your Clan.” Aloy’s mouth dropped open in surprise; it was honestly the absolute last thing she’d ever expected to hear coming from his lips. “I’m sorry, I know I should just be happy for you.”

“Wait a... What?” Aloy blinked back at him, completely taken aback at what he’d just said. “What would ever make you think I want to do that?” Erend’s cheeks flushed red, and he hoped the alcohol had hid it as he shook his head again.

“I-” He cleared his throat awkwardly, “Aloy, I- I saw you this afternoon... Walking back to Olin’s with Varl. I heard what he said about having feelings for you, and asking you to come back with him...” Aloy opened her mouth to respond, but he held up his hands to stop her, clarifying, “But I didn’t eavesdrop, I swear! The second I heard him say a word of it, I left. I wasn’t trying to spy on you.” The last part of Erend’s confession sounded apologetic, and regretful at the same time.

“I kind of wish you’d at least stuck around long enough to hear my response to him, Erend.” _You idiot,_ Aloy thought, as relief flooded through her, _You got yourself all worked up over that? Over the thought of me leaving with Varl?_ He looked shocked by the smile in her response, all the sadness suddenly draining from his face as he tried to figure out what she was saying. “Of course I turned him down!”

“So you- you’re not choosing Varl?” Erend asked, realizing he’d blurted the question out loud about a half a second too late. “The two of you seemed to be close, I just thought-”

“The Nora cast me out at birth, because I have no mother. The man who took me in, Rost, was an outcast, too, and he raised me as his own. I want no part of a clan who only considered me one of them once they figured out I was someone they could use.”

A mixture of relief and suspended disbelief flooded through Erend as Aloy’s words sunk in. She isn’t going to marry Varl. He repeated the words in his head, over and over until she broke the silence that had fallen between them, but this time he was smiling instead of scowling; the sight made Aloy’s heart sing, a feeling of appreciation bubbling over her.

“Is that what that was all about?” Aloy finally connected the dots out loud: Erend had gotten jealous at the idea of her choosing Varl over him, when he really had no idea just how she felt, at all. “Erend, were you jealous?” This time, he knew he was blushing like mad, the reddest he’d been since he was a teenager; he cursed the alcohol running through his veins as he struggled for an answer, but couldn’t come up with anything that didn’t make him look like a gibbering fool. Instead, all he could do was close the minuscule distance between them, his rough, battle-scarred hands cupping her sun-speckled cheeks as he showed her exactly what he’d wanted to do since the moment they’d stood on the edge of the ravine, his actions emboldened by the mix of embarrassment and shame she’d brought out into the open. Aloy yelped in surprise, but quickly recovered, her hands finding the back of his head as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips deeper against his. It surprised her, just how soft and warm Erend’s mouth felt against her own, despite the bristle of his facial hair; she hoped it wasn’t obvious that he was the first man she’d ever kissed, outside the occasional affectionate brush of lips on cheek, face or hair when she’d been hurt as a child, or when Rost had felt particularly paternal. Erend chuckled nervously when they parted a moment later, not quite sure whether or not he’d just violated her trust, already second-guessing himself.

“I’m sorry, I-” He still looked bewildered that he’d actually gone through with it, “Was that wrong? I’ve, uh... I’ve wanted to do that for a really long time-” Aloy didn’t let him finish the thought, pulling him back into a second kiss, her lips pulled tight in a smile as she did it. Erend’s heart beat so hard in his chest, he was surprised it couldn’t be heard hitting against his armor as she turned her head, parting her lips to deepen the kiss and allowing him to commit every second of the experience to memory.

“I have, too.” Aloy answered him, when they’d broken contact again, her lips swollen red from the effort. “You’ve been on my mind more often than I’d like to admit, through all of this.” Their faces were still close, Aloy’s arms still fixed around his neck as he held her, each of their eyes fixed on the other. Erend looked both happy and sad to hear it; he knew his troubles had only distracted her from the Shadow Carja threat, but he would be forever in her debt for finding Ersa and bringing Dervhal to justice.

“If I ever did anything to make you worry about me, I’m sorry.” He apologized, and meant every word of it. The way Aloy had watched him, with confusion, fear and betrayal on her face... Erend never wanted her to look at him that way again.

“It’s enough to know you’re alright.” Aloy reassured him, pulling him into an embrace, she was so glad to know he wasn’t angry with her anymore. It felt hard to believe that they were finally being open about their feelings for one another, moving beyond the harmless flirting they’d so often fallen back on when there wasn’t any other way to break the tension around them. “I really don’t know what I would do without you.”

“And, here, I was the one worried you were going to leave me behind.” Erend marvelled, wondering how he’d ever gone that long without telling her. He could have kicked himself for how he’d acted all night, and yet she’d stayed by his side, stubbornly refusing to let him sabotage their friendship.

“We should probably head back to the party, I’m sure Avad will want to see you.” Erend rubbed at the back of his neck, feeling ashamed all over again. “You were supposed to be a guest of honor at the feast... I was sent to tell you, but when I saw you and Varl, I panicked, and just made up a lie I knew they’d believe.” He sighed, “I’m sorry.” Aloy wrinkled her nose when Erend said ‘guest of honor’, wishing she could go just one evening without people treating her like she was something to be prized, or worshipped.

“As long as I don’t have to be the center of attention tonight.” She rolled her eyes, “I get enough of that from the Nora, I don’t need Avad and the Carja doing it, too.” Erend laughed musically at her response, taking her hand in his as they made their way back through the slowly thinning crowd. “I’m starving. Let’s find something to eat.”


End file.
